River of Blood- Yung

Jillian was able to buy the young Korean girl for $230,000. Of course, Jill commenced with a much lower offer, but she was also ready to pay even more than she did.She secretly had already previously "bought" four other teenagers, and was able to return them to their parents, but Yung had no family, as far as Evelynn could determine, so Jill decided to let Yung stay with her.That was seven years ago.With English tutoring and culinary classes, Yung thrived and is happy. Jill was able to secure falsified documents, and Yung appears to be a legal immigrant of 23. Yung cleans, cooks, and speaks her mind. She rarely leaves the house anymore, but she makes everyone smile.She is the most innocent and naive of Jill's staff, and the bodyguards are very protective of her.Nevertheless,she doesn't seem to trust anybody but her Ms. Jill.

River of Blood -ABC crew

Abby, Barb and Cheri comprise the "ABC crew", Jill's 3 amazing and skilled bodyguards. All three hold black belts in various martial arts and regularly work out in Jillian 's terrace level state-of-the-art gym.Abby is a marksman; Barb is an Olympian for triathlon; and Cheri excels at Boxing.In peak physical condition, they do not drink, smoke or have any vices.In addition, Abby oversaw the installation of the million dollar security system, the vault,safes, the panic room and the " command center" with constant video surveillance of interior and exterior.They have shifts and rotations. One of the ladies is always in the center, 24/7;one is always with Jillian, and they take shifts to sleep, to check premises, to work out, or to take care of the trained dobermans. They are rarely together day or night, and they don't share living quarters.A well oiled and professional threesome,they do not "take any prisoners" and many men have miscalculated their physical allure and " skill set." They love their job and their boss.One night, an armed thief,trying to rob the Alexander home,came into the crosshairs of Abby.She could have easily shot him between the eyes, but she decided to let the dogs tear him to pieces instead.Not one of the three women suffers fools, and besides,warning signs are posted around the gated perimeter.

River of blood -Ruby

Ruby loved nursing and couldn't resist the fabulous pay raise she would get if she accepted Jillian Alexander's offer to be her private live-in nurse, besides paying for Ruby's divorce and giving her all the benefits she could possibly want.Jillian paid her court fees too, for the felony charges concerning the poisonings. The evidence had disappeared from the police department , and Jill's competent lawyer, Evelynn,had helped so much, so Ruby was found not guilty.She has enjoyed the last four years of employment with Jill,and her leisure time is often spent doing laps in the indoor or outdoor pool.She will earn her pay when she helps Jillian kick her heroin habit,and then there is the yet- to -be -known young woman whose branding at the Querencia will need to be tended.

River of Blood- the "querencia"

The passcode and location changed every quarter. Tonight the code is " balderdash" ,and the place is Jill Alexander's home. Jill hasn't hosted the Querencia in four years, so she wants it to be unique, with no expense spared. She requested her cook Yung to hire some of the usual bartenders and waiters and get as much help as she needs for the kitchen duties.ABC were put on alert to be extra vigilant and check all vehicles and guests before they are even allowed through the estate's gates. No phones or cameras allowed.The only open rooms will be on the main floor and everything else will be locked; that should be sufficient.The night's theme is "Masque of the Red Death", and everyone will wear masks, stilettos and not much else.All was in order and soon the invited would arrive. Jill knows most of the 50 or so guests, except the newest members and their partners.She didn't go to the last few soirees, so she looks forward to seeing some of her intimate friends, and catching up on the recent gatherings.She's especially excited to seeing two significant friends - Maya Benicia, a former lover, and Lina Dontay who is the powerful matriarch of this covert group and Jillian's longtime mentor. So far, Jill had not chosen "the one". She would decide arbitrarily later on in the evening.As host, it fell to her to select the worthy individual who would participate in the unique ritual, the climax of the evening, always done at 1 am. Jillian had been that fortunate person years ago , and now she highly anticipated tonight's events for the next initiate.Of course, the ceremony is not without pain,so Ruby, her nurse, will be on hand to administer a sedative and the necessary assistance after the the branding. Although it wasn't expected, Jill will offer to let the young woman stay at her house, and have Ruby care for her, during the healing process.It had taken about 6 weeks for Jill's upper thigh burn to be tolerable , so she guessed it could be about the same for whomever she chooses.The selected woman receives $500,000 for her performance;S&M is involved. She can decline, but nobody has done that, so far. Just in case, Jill will have an alternative person in mind.She anticipated an exciting and highly satisfying evening.

Time to go

Not now; not ever.Stop the whining; stop the self- pity. You're not the victim;you're the problem.Reap what you sow.You've been let off the hook too long, and at other people's expense. Be safe, but be gone.Waited and hoped to no avail.Please leave.You've overstayed your welcome by about five years.

River of Blood- Evelynn's fantasy

Flaying-now there's a torture that appealed greatly to Evelynn. She had been mulling over the excruciatingly delicious idea ever since she was fourteen and saw the searingly memorable painting of" the Flaying of St.Bartholomew".That was two years after she had been first sexually assaulted. She savored the agonizing pain of Theon Greyjoy in "Game of Thrones" and frequently fantasized about torturing her sexually abusive brother in this manner.It would be medieval and cruel;she smiled at the idea. Jillian was the only person, outside Evelynn's immediate family, who knew anything about Garrett's chronic incestuous rape of his much younger sister. Her parents had turned a blind eye,so Evelynn left home at sixteen to live with her aunt in a different state.She couldn't stand for anyone to touch her; hugs made her cringe. She finished law school and passed the bar, planning to work with underprivileged women.She met Jillian Alexander at a charity event, and they became fast friends. Jill became Evelynn's closest confidante and promised to help her get justice,if Evelynn would work for her, and so she did.Evelynn's flaying knife's "kiss" was biding its time.

DC monuments

I was recently in Baltimore to see a very dear friend who is critically ill. While there, I did spend a day visiting DC,and I took a night tour of the city's monuments and memorials.It was fantastic, yet sobering, and I felt a reverence for all the honored and remembered vets. I had never been to the WW2 memorial, nor the Korean memorial nor the Vietnam memorial. They were beautiful and thought provoking. I hadn't seen the MLK monument before, and it was truly majestic.Of course, the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials took my( very cold)breath away.DC is a tremendous gem, and I still haven't seen half of the Smithsonian museums either. If I lived closer, I would have exciting and free mind candy to take in for months.The people who live there are tremendously fortunate to have so much history, beauty, and free admissions at their fingertips. I wonder if they take advantage of this incredible gift.